Author note: Happy Halloween Everyone! Yay, we're at 8 of 10 now. Hope you enjoy this chapter, please let me know what you think.
Disclaimer: I own nothing that is recognizable in this fanfiction story. The Midnight, Texas series belongs to Charlaine Harris.
Chapter 8 – Last Temptation of Midnight
Previously…
… Thinking that she should continue to give Manny and Creek privacy, the female psychic laid down on the wooden pew to rest for a little while, not knowing that when she woke up her brother and the RV would be gone.
Winnie woke up from her nap around an hour later, and it was already after noon. The nap had knocked off some of the exhaustion she had been feeling, but she was nowhere near 'rested', and her body ached from laying on the unyielding surface of the bench. Not to mention the lingering headache—turned migraine—that had become a constant and increasing pain since coming to Midnight.
She stretched out her sore shoulder and began to rub out the crick in her neck. When she felt moderately human again, Winnie stood and made her way back to the house.
She got to the corner of the shop beside her house and froze, the RV was gone.
At first, she tried to convince herself that it was nothing; Manny had just needed to go pick up something, but Winnie knew they didn't need anything right now. They still had plenty of left over pizza, which neither sibling had ever had a problem eating cold or reheated, so food was off the list for a few days. They were fully stocked in the rest of the house too. So, something else was going on.
Pulling out her phone, Winnie was about to call her brother, when a vision hit her already aching head like a bullet train.
"Well, I'm not gonna lie to you, Manny. I'm disappointed," Xylda's ghost said from the passanger seat of the RV.
"You're also dead," Manny shot back, "You don't get a vote."
"They're counting on you."
"Joe wants me to lead. Well, I'm leading…" he yanked off his shades and grabbed the pill bottle off of the dash, "by example, leaving that hell hole."
"What about Winnie, are you forgetting about your sister? And Creek?" Xylda tried, "How about her?"
"She doesn't want me there. She deserves better than…" he paused when the last pill fell into his hand, "Looks like I'm quitting," commented the medium as he threw the bottle behind him.
"Now I'm worried," the ghost said sincerely.
He sighed, "I don't see ghosts every four seconds like in Midnight; it'll be fine."
"No, it won't be fine. You gotta go back. It's you destiny. Before I died, I got a vision. I should have told you, but I just kept chickening out. And then Joe beat me to it."
"So this whole, 'you'll be safe in Midnight', that was all a lie?" he asked, furious at the deception.
"Had to get you there somehow."
The look on his face was mostly- anger and partially-hurt. "You know, I really wish you weren't tethered to this RV so I could kick you dead ass out of it."
Winnie came out of the vision to find her perspective lower to the ground. She had fallen on her butt at some point and was too shocked to care.
Manny was running, that was nothing new to the redhead, but this time he had left her behind. She didn't know if she wanted to scream or cry.
What had made him leave? Why leave her? And without a word.
The twins had always been together and suddenly they weren't. An unknown number of miles separated them now. Winnie felt like the rug had been pulled from under her.
Winnie didn't know how long she sat in a daze. Questions swirling around in her head with no answers. That is, no answers until Creek opened the door to the house and stepped out. The redhead's face went blank. Winnie wasn't clear on the 'what' or 'why', but she now knew the 'who' that had made her brother leave.
Unable to face the waitress, Winnie retrieved her phone from the ground as she got to her feet. Thankfully it had survived the fall without damage, unlike her palms. She must have subconsciously braced for the fall and scraped her hands on the ground.
Turning without a word, she walked away, her feet carrying her toward Fiji's house. She found Bobo on the porch to the shop/home.
"Hey," he said quietly as she approached, "what brings you here? If you're looking for Fiji, I think she's still asleep."
"I…" Winnie started but suddenly lost the words on the tip of her tongue, all she could do was thrust out her hands revealing her cut palms.
"Oh, what happened?" he asked in concern.
Shaking her head, she replied, "I got a really bad headache all of a sudden and I lost my balance."
"The door to Fiji's home opened and the dark-haired woman appeared, watching them. When the witch's eyes fell to the redhead's palms she winced and opened the door all the way.
"Come on in and let's get that cleaned up," Fiji invited.
Once they were in the kitchen, Fiji gently started whipping dirt off Winnie's hands as water ran over the injured skin.
"They don't look too deep. First, we need to wash out the dirt and then I have a paste we can use to help it heal. So, how did this happen?" asked the witch.
Winnie seemed like she hadn't heard the older woman so Bobo repeated what Winnie had told him.
"A headache?" Fiji inquired and just added, "I'll make some tea."
After cleaning out the dirt and applying the paste to the cuts, Fiji wrapped them with gauze. The dark-skinned woman told Winnie to take a seat in the sitting area. Bobo silently wandered back outside. Fiji came into the living room with a steaming cup of tea, and the psychic looked at her hands then back to the cup that was being handed to her.
Carefully curling the fingers of her right hand around the handle and using the fingertips of the other hand to support the rim of the mug, Winnie began to sip the brew and almost instantly the pain began to fade.
"How often do you get headaches this bad?"
Sighing, Winnie explained, "Almost non-stop lately, I get them when I'm sensing spirits or have a vision. Sometimes, I pick up on too much around me and it makes them worse. Splitting headaches are a byproduct of psychic powers, at least in my family."
"So, you're brother has them too?"
"Yeah," she said on a sigh.
The witch must have interpreted the tone of that reply as Winnie's reluctance to talk, because nothing was said until the redhead finished her tea.
"I'm going to check on Emilio. Thanks for everything," she added with a smile as she got up.
Fiji returned the smile with a small upturn at the corners of her mouth, "Come by later and I can put together some more tea for you to take home."
The thought of 'home' had the redheads smile wavering but she pushed it away to make her words more earnest as she replied, "Thank you."
Winnie left quickly after that. When she arrived at the reverend's place, the psychic found him asleep. Getting a glass of water, which she placed on the table beside the bed, the girl took a seat in the only chair in the room. It didn't take her long to doze off as she listened to the steady breathing of the man in the bed.
A little while later, she half woke up to the feeling of movement. There was a soft surface under her and she was surrounded by warmth and comfort, then she was asleep again.
Waking up beside the man she was in love with was new to Winnie, but in no way unpleasant. The sunlight slipping through the curtains was orange like embers, and the rays that fell across Emilio's bare torso turned his skin a fire-bronze.
Winnie was thankful that she had managed not to roll into his injured side while she slept. She reached over and smoothed back a lock of hair from his forehead.
His eyes fluttered open and he looked to her. They shared small lazy smiles until his eyes drifted over to the window and widened in shock.
"I didn't realize it had gotten this late," he told her, "I have to go."
Her brow furrowed as her sleep addled mind tried to work. Finally, she simply asked, "Why?"
"Tonight, is the full moon," was the short reply as Emilio gently levered his injured body out of the bed and readied to leave.
"Oh," she said as she moved to the edge of the bed and sat there to watch him. When he was almost done she sighed and stood up. Trying to hide how much the thought bothered her, Winnie said, "I guess I'll go home then."
He was suddenly in front of her and tucking a strand of hair behind one ear as he kissed her forehead, "Don't go. You seem extremely tired, stay here and rest."
"You're not wrong," she admitted with a small chuckle and added a quiet, "Thanks."
"I'll be back in the morning." And with that final statement the man was gone.
Winnie lowered herself down onto the mattress and could barely keep her eyes open. She settled and drifted off surrounded by the scent of the weretiger, a scent that had come to mean comfort to Winnie.
The next morning, Winnie woke up to the smell of coffee and with a quick glance to the clock beside the bed she realized she had slept later than usual. She shuffled her way into Emilio's kitchen. Everything about the place was made for a single person and the kitchen was no exception.
The black-clad man stood at the counter, a mug in front of him, as he watched the coffee brew. He spoke with a soft smile on his lips as he looked to the redhead, "I was going to wake you up after the coffee was done, but it looks like I was too slow."
He looked much better than the day before, though tired, since the cut on his forehead was gone and he was standing straight.
Winnie quietly stepped into his space and wrapped her arms around his torso from the side. The man returned the hug with one arm around her shoulders and a gently kiss to the crown of her head.
"It's fine," she said, "I needed the reason to get out of bed or I would probably still be there."
"That's unusual," he mentioned, "I know you're an early riser."
She sighed softly into his collar, where she had tucked her forehead against the warm skin of his neck. "Yeah, but then there are days when I just don't want to get out of bed. Do you think we can hit pause and try again tomorrow?"
"Are you not feeling well?" He probed.
"I've been better," she answered before finishing, "but I'm mostly trying to avoid going home."
He gave her a puzzled look. "Why?"
She let out a heavy sigh as she pulled way to look Emilio in the face. "Manny's gone...He ran, and now I'm not sure how to handle Creek being in the house."
Instead of using words to comfort the redhead, Emilio pulled her back and enveloped her in his arms. Winnie ducked her head and the weretiger rested his chin on the red curls on her crown.
The scent, warmth, and emotions coming from the black-clad man also seemed to wrap around the psychic's scenes and she fell even more. Though she still couldn't say those three little words to express how she felt, Winnie knew it was only a matter of time.
When the pot of coffee was finished it was time for lunch. Emilio and Winnie were seated in the back room of the restaurant waiting for their meals. She was drinking a glass of water and kept glancing over at her companion in concern. The effects of the veil were getting stronger, and with Emilio—a known vegetarian—ordering a steak, the gypsy girl was wondering how bad it would get before hell was unleashed on Midnight. Reaching over, she placed her hand over his and began to rub circled with her thumb.
Olivia walked in questioning dryly, "You hear about Manfred?"
"It's a shame. I thought more of him," the reverend replied.
Winnie sighed at the comment and then noticed a waitress come in. The couple simultaneously released their hands as their food was placed in front of them. Emilio's plate seemed to make an unusually loud thump when it hit the table.
Olivia looked at the steak that dominated the plate with only a sparse serving of steamed vegetables on the side, then she glanced at the waitress and back to Emilio before voicing her thought. "You're a vegetarian."
"Usually," the man said, "I've been anemic."
Olivia swallowed hard as she took in the statement. "Iron. Nothing to do with the veil?"
"Honestly, I don't know," the weretiger admitted before asking, "How's Lemuel?"
Olivia seemed to think about her answer before speaking, "Hungrier than usual."
"And you?" Winnie asked the woman across from her. When Olivia shot her a sharp look the redhead explained, "Supernaturals are open to the same wavelength so it makes sense that they would be affected by the veil, and while humans are less 'in tune' they can still pick-up demonic interference."
"That's a highly accurate metaphor," Emilio commented with a wry grin.
"I'm fine," Olivia finally answered.
"Yeah, but how do you feel," Winnie joked as a smirk played across her lips, until she took a bite of her sandwich.
Olivia just snorted and shook her head. It wasn't long before she received her order and the conversation died down into a companionable silence as they ate.
Olivia said goodbye at the end of the meal and went her separate way, while Winnie followed Emilio into the church. The inside had been cleaned up since the fight with Bowie, and there was a temporary patch on the roof until it could be repaired.
Taking a seat, Winnie leaned forward to brace her elbows on her knees as she started massaging her temples.
"I wish this headache would go away," she murmured.
A hand gently gripped her shoulder and she heard Emilio speak, "Perhaps you should go home and rest. I saw Creek at the restaurant, you should have some privacy."
She scoffed, when she spoke her voice was normal but her tone was wry exasperation, "I've never had that much privacy. I lived in an RV with my grandma and brother. Even after Xylda died, she wasn't gone, but now...the RV, Grandma, Manny, it's all gone. Part of me is in shock, part wants to cry, and the rest is mad as hell." She paused to take a deep breath before looking up into warm brown eyes, "But your right. I at least need to shower, change clothes and brush my teeth."
He smiled as she stood giving a gentle squeeze to her shoulder before letting go and stepping out of her way.
Returning the smile, the redhead walked away with a cheery, "See you later, Tiger."
Winnie felt much better after a shower and was happy to find one of her favorite shirts hanging in the closet. Written in pink and white across the front of a black t-shirt was the saying, 'I Smile and Act Like Nothing's Wrong It's Called Dealing with Shit and Staying Strong'.
The redhead walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water before heading toward the couch. She had just sat down when a vision made her pause.
People with their faces ripped off, their bodies piled in the street like garbage. There was fire. Fiji captured in the arms of a faceless figure.
Winnie gasped when the images finally stopped and doubled over clutching her head. The migraine was back.
Unable to open her eyes, she used the voice command for her phone to call Fiji.
"This is 'The Inquiring Mind', Fiji speaking."
"Fiji," Winnie said with a wince as her own voice made the pain worse, "I need a little help. I've got a head-splitting migraine and I'm at the house by myself. Do you think you can bring over some of that tea from yesterday?"
"Oh, of course, I'll be right over."
"Thanks," the redhead said earnestly just before the call disconnected.
When Fiji arrived, she already had a travel mug of tea ready for the psychic which she promptly handed over.
"Here, just sip that," the witch ordered as she sat down a bag on the living room table, "I also brought a couple of batches just in case."
Winnie smiled into the rim of the mug and asked quietly, "So, how much do I owe you for this?"
"Oh, no, there's no—"
"Fiji, you run a business, and I'm sure this will become a regular thing, so let me pay for it," the redhead took another sip and slowly opened her eyes. "This stuff is amazing. Thank you."
There was a shy smile on the dark-haired woman's face, "It won't get you back to a hundred percent but it helps."
"Are you kidding? I feel so much better, I could ask you to marry me. You know, if I wasn't totally head-over-heels for Emilio and you weren't in-love with Bobo, and we both liked girls," she said jokingly with a bright smile and laugh.
Fiji giggled and her words came out in a quiet chuckle, "You are definitely feeling better."
Nodding, Winnie announced, "Wayyyy better."
"I'm glad," the witch told the psychic, "but now I have to be getting back to the shop. You can finish that," she said gesturing to the cup, "and give it back when you're done."
"I'll come by later, so I can pay for the tea and hand your mug back," Winnie agreed.
Fiji was about to leave when she seemed to remember something and turned back around to look at Winnie. "Creek said she wasn't able to tell you," the brunette started, "but she's staying at my place now."
Winnie's eyes fell to the container in her hands and she could only acknowledge the statement with a quiet, "Oh."
The witch gave a sad smile and left.
Half an hour later, Winnie left her house and went to Fiji's place to drop everything off. The witch tried to refuse payment again, but Winnie left the money on the table before she left. Then she went to Home Cookin' to find Creek.
The waitress was obviously on her break since Winnie found her outside leaning against the railing.
When Creek spotted the redhead coming toward her with a determined stride she actually stepped back, but Winnie was soon in her space and surprised the younger woman when she hugged her.
"I'm not mad at you," the gypsy said but then hummed and said, "Okay, I'm sort of mad at you for breaking my brother's heart and making him run away, but you're hurting too. So, I won't curse you, but I'm about to curse at you." She stepped back and held the waitress at arm's length by her shoulders. She stared the brunette in the eyes as she spoke, "My brother fucking loves you, and you pushed him away when the only thing keeping him here was you. The way he just left without me," Winnie's eyes started to shine with unshed tears, "I don't even know if I matter anymore, but you..." She paused and her gaze shifted to the church where she knew Emilio was, "You became as crucial as breathing," she whispered before swallowing hard and looking back at the other girl, "Now he's drowning and I'm not there to pull him back, and that terrifies me. So, let me be here for you, don't push me away too, or I fail you and Manny."
Neither girl was sure who moved first but they were soon hugging again. Faces barred in the other's shoulder as they silently cried. It took them a few minutes to dry their eyes.
"Thank you. I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but I'll tell you as soon as I know," Creek promised.
"Okay," Winnie said with a nod and watched as the brunette headed back inside.
Seconds later, a commotion came from the street and Winnie turned around to find Bobo and Fiji with an older woman who was struggling in the man's arms and shouting.
Winnie made her way over as the three in the street headed for the church. They got inside, and the woman suddenly stopped, almost falling limp in Bobo's arms.
Emilio's concerned gaze fell on them as soon as he stepped inside, Olivia behind him. "What's going on?"
"I don't know," Fiji said, the witch sounded lost and was watching the older woman as if looking hard enough would reveal some kind of secret, "Janice? Are you alright?"
"I," the woman started and then paused before shaking her head, "No," Janice said as she started to sob, "No."
They led the elder woman to the front pew and helped her take a seat. Fiji stayed with her while Emilio retrieved a First Aid kit and the others gave the witch and distraught woman space. The reverend, pawn shop owner, assassin and gypsy retreated to the other side of the church, close to the exit.
"Man," Winnie breathed the word out in a huff, "Things are progressively getting worse. At this rate, I'll be lucky if there's enough time to pick-up a useful hobby."
"What, like knitting?" Olivia asked sarcastically.
The redhead scoffed, "No, more like making grenades."
Blinking in surprise before giving a smirk, the blonde replied, "Sounds like my kind of hobby."
"There's something I've been wondering for the longest time now," Bobo suddenly said.
With questioning looks, the others in their group turned to him.
"What is that?" Asked Olivia.
Bobo turned to the redheaded woman. "The night I got arrested, where did you get the dynamite, and what did you do with it?"
"I sent it to a guy I know," she said with a shrug, "but it's okay," she continued pulling out a stick of dynamite from inside her jacket, "I have more."
Bobo took a half-step back, "Wh—why?"
"Never know when I'll need it," was the calm reply as the explosive was shoved back into the inner pocket of the psychic's riding jacket. "Same reason I wear my gloves, and carry around my knives and taser," she then grabbed a handful of the necklaces around her neck, "Do you see how many protection charms I wear? After all of the family stories Grandma told when Manny and I were kids, I like to be prepared."
"I'm surprised, after the way your brother handled that angel," Olivia commented.
"Manny is a horse of a different color. Grandma made sure his first instinct was to run, not fight, but he'll still surprise you. I'm only a little different. I learned there are times when you don't get the option to run. Still, being prepared and looking for a fight are two different things. I would rather avoid conflict but I will always protect myself, my family, and those I care about."
The blonde nodded solemnly and the men silently agreed.
Winnie looked over her shoulder to the old woman sitting in the front pew. She frowned and bit her lip before announcing, "I'll be right back," and then quickly leaving.
Going to her trailer, Winnie unlocked the door and entered. Pulling a small bag from the wardrobe closet, the psychic turned to the cabinet with her stash of cash. She placed $20, 000 dollars into the bag and then opened a drawer on the other side of the trailer to pull out two handcrafted bracelets from among many others.
Once she was done, Winnie locked up her belongings and went back to the church.
When Winnie returned to the church everyone was quiet and the old woman seemed to be speaking to Fiji.
A minute later, the door opened again and an elderly man walked in.
"Janice?" The old man called, and the others turned to the woman sitting with Fiji.
The woman, or Janice, slowly made her way to the man and Winnie came to stand close to them, drawing the aged couples attention.
Smiling kindly, the gypsy spoke, "Janice and..." She waited for the man to say his name before continuing, "Martin, it's nice to meet you. I'm Winnie."
"It's nice to meet you too," the old woman replied.
"This may seem strange," the psychic told them, "but I have something for you," she handed the bracelets to Janice, "Good luck charms, and something else I thought you might need," she finished and held out the bag to Martin.
Curious the man unzipped the bag and opened it to reveal the money inside.
"Oh my goodness," the wife exclaimed breathlessly.
"We can't accept this, Miss," the husband said.
"You already did," Winnie said with a smile gesturing to the bag in the man's hands, "and once you accept a gift, it's rude to return it. I hope you enjoy your vacation."
Janice and Martin stood there stunned and Winnie went to the door and held it open, giving Fiji a meaningful look as she nodded outside. "Now, I believe you two have some packing to do," she said waving out the door with her other hand. Fiji seemed to herd the pair out and the couple shuffled through the exit silently with confused looks still on their faces. "Have a safe trip."
Letting the door close behind them, the gypsy girl went back to the others.
With the old couple gone the reverend spoke, "Joe said, as the veil frays, evil energy would seep out. Energy that would tap into our darker impulses."
Fiji disagreed, "That's...not what Janice felt. It's not what I felt either. Janice and I heard a specific voice. It's a demon."
"It never asked you to..." Bobo questioned hesitantly.
"No!" the witch exclaimed, "No, not yet, anyway. But it is getting louder, stronger, and I think it is feeding on death to do so."
"That would explain the deceased animals I find out front every morning," said Emilio.
"There's power in cutting a life short," Winnie told them, "The most powerful spells are dark spells because they call for a sacrifice."
"But why pick on Janice?" Bobo asked.
"'Cause she's vulnerable," Fiji admitted quietly, "She's been sad. Her oldest moved away. Her mom passed."
Olivia spoke up, "So there's a demon who's got a thing for death and Fiji, and a veil to hell, making evil run amok, and any one of us can be affected."
"Yep," Fiji said with fake cheer, "And I'm done. You know, coming after me, that's one thing. But critters and Janice, they can't even put up a fight. It's just mean. And I'm putting a stop to it," the witch announced before leaving.
A chill ran up Winnie's spine and she let out a quiet gasp before turning to the others still in the church. She gave all three a significant look as she told them, "Something's coming, we need to be ready."
Bobo pursed his lips and gave a sharp nod before leaving. Olivia left after and it was just the gypsy and reverend left.
"That was a kind thing you did for Martin and Janice," the weretiger told the redhead, "Especially since they were strangers to you."
She shook her head trying to dismiss the comment, "It was the right thing to do. That's all there is to it."
He smiled and took her hand before kissing the knuckles and pulling her into a hug. "And you are so much more than you let others to see."
"A girl has to have her secrets," she teased into his ear as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "You happen to be someone I want to share them with."
They leaned back and shared a smile before the weretiger said, "The feeling is mutual."
Closing the distance between them again, they kissed.
Bobo entered the church after sunset to find Emilio reading at the pulpit and Winnie reclining in the front pew with a deck of cards in her hands.
The pawn shop owner started speaking as soon as he closed the door behind him, his sentences were stilted, "Always liked being in church. Family would go every Sunday. Holidays. Nice to see neighbors, friends. But that's not why I'm here. I gotta ask you something, and I'm hoping you'll level with me."
The reverends brow was slightly drawn in confusion as he came around the podium to face the younger man, before he stood straight and said, "Absolutely. What is it?"
"There's concern about the veil, it's effect on supernaturals," Bobo started before he reached behind him, "I'm loaded up on silver bullets," he admitted showing the other man the gun he had tucked into his waist, "And I'm kinda feeling bad about that."
"Naw," the weretiger said shaking his head, "Don't. You're right to." There was a pause before he spoke again, "Have a seat."
The two men took a seat on the pew across the aisle from the girl, who was staring at them completely enraptured by the conversation. Bobo seemed unsure and guilty like a young boy at confession.
"Young Weres," Emilio began, "don't turn with a regularity. They're bloodthirsty, and wild, and they can turn even when there's no full moon. The feelings I'm having, I haven't felt that since I was a cub. Wild. Hungry."
"That doesn't sound like you," Bobo said.
"Until I changed, it was me," the weretiger revealed, "When I got older, I forced myself to look at the pain I'd caused, and I remind myself of that all the time, as the veils pull grows stronger."
It was quiet for a moment before the reverend clucked his tongue and spoke, "I'm gonna lock myself downstairs."
The younger man shook his head with a grunt. "There's no need for that. How about instead I stick around...incase."
"I'd appreciate that," Emilio said, "The pull of darkness is strong tonight."
Winnie smiled and looked back to her cards, but her eyes grew heavy and she fought to keep them open, unable to fight the strong pull, Winnie slipped into unconsciousness and her body slumped down onto the bench.
She slipped into a memory of her grandmother's last moments alive. It was bittersweet as Xylda escaped her cancer in death.
Suddenly she heard her grandmother's voice like an echo in her head. Xylda was calling to Manny and Winnie was suddenly standing beside her brother who was lying on the ground with their grandmother sitting beside him.
Manny coughed as he woke up asking, "What?"
"Listen to me," Xylda told him, "The day I died, I got a vision. One of those that don't come around too often. A clear view of a moment in the future. It was Midnight in flames, folks dying all around, and you in the center. The only one to stop it."
"You didn't happen to see how?" He asked hoarsely.
"No. I'm sorry," she apologized, "But, Manny, remember when you were little. You're powerful. Spirits will listen to you. I should have taught you to use that power, not to hide it. Now you need to be a better man than I raised you to be. You need to go back."
"If I don't, they all die?"
Xylda nodded her head gravely.
Manny got up. "Then I don't have a choice, do I?"
Xylda smiled proudly at her grandson.
"Why are you smiling?" He asked incredulously, "I'm probably gonna die."
"Oh, hell. Everyone dies eventually. It's how you live. That's the only thing you got a say over. You live for the folks you love. For me that was you and Winnie, Manny." She pinched his cheeks and chuckled, "You sweet, weird kid."
Manny smiled before his expression changed to confusion. "Wait," he said glancing around, "You're—you're tethered to the RV."
The ghost shook her head."Not anymore," she told him, "I did what I was here to do. Now I get to move on."
'No,' he mouthed and started to shake his head.
An engine started to rumble in Winnie's ears and the vision began to fade.
"And so do you," Xylda continued, "Your ride's here."
"Grandma," he began but was intrupted.
"We said good-bye during the cancer year. Go." Xylda said firmly and the vision was gone.
Winnie groaned and slowly opened her eyes to find Emilio looking down at her. She took a moment to realize she was on the floor and there was a dull throb at her temple that had nothing to do with her migraine.
"I feel like I fell," she stated.
"You did," Bobo told her from somewhere near her feet, "Are you alright?"
She gave a sardonic grin, "...besides the pounding migraine, the knot on my forehead and the impending sense of doom? I'm fantastic."
Emilio shot her an amused look before speaking to the other man, "It seems she'll be fine."
Winnie moved to sit up and the reverend was quick to assist the redhead. Her brow creased as she remembered her vision telling the two with her, "I need to make a call."
She pulled out her phone and pressed a number of speed dial then waited as it rang. When the call connected she spoke without waiting for the person on the line to talk, "My RV was stolen. Do you boys think you have time to help me get it back?" She paused, "Oh, that's great news. I'll text the address as soon as I hang up. Please tell him thank you for me."
She quickly hung up and typed out a text message to send to the person she had called. Looking at Bobo and Emilio with a smile she said, "Alright, now I just have to get ready for Manny to get back."
"Another vision," Bobo and Emilio questioned/stated at the same time.
Winnie chuckled as she stood up. Bobo held out her deck of cards and she took them with a raised eyebrow.
"They got scattered around when you fell," he explained.
She glanced down at the face of the card on top and gave him a smirk. "Would you look at that," she said showing him 'The Star' card, "light in the darkness."
"Is that a good thing?" The shop owner asked puzzled.
She shrugged as she headed to the door and just before leaving she finally spoke, "Usually!"
In her trailer Winnie pulled out a duffle bag that had been stuffed in the bottom of the wardrobe and then reached into a cabinet to pull out a long rectangular box. Locking the trailer behind her, the gypsy made her way inside to deposit her belongings on the bed.
"Okay," she said and began thinking out loud as she unzipped the duffle, "Demons. It's a good thing my ancestors were packrats." Inside the bag were several pieces of clothing, a dark-green embroidered cropped jacket, white peasant blouse, black leggings, and matching black leather corset and thigh-high boots. Winnie examined the stitching on the jacket, her eyes able to make out the patterns of the familiar protection runes, "And if it doesn't help, at least it won't make things worse," she finished with a shrug.
She continued to talk to the empty room, "It's not time for the blood moon, Joe's still gone, so we have time to figure out whatever that was in my vision," she flashed a sarcastic smirk, "Maybe I'll have enough time to air this stuff out...yeah, right," the redhead murmured as a shiver ran up her spine and then glared in annoyance, "...what a pipe dream. Why can't my stupid visions be a little more helpful?"
Laying the jacket back on the bed, the psychic spun around and came nose to nose with Emilio. The sudden closeness startled her and she stepped back, only to bump into the bed, and would have fallen back if not for the hand that quickly grabbed her arm.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he said rapidly as he used both hands to make sure she was steady before letting go, "I was worried. Your presence keeps the tiger calm."
Winnie cupped his face gently between her palms and leaned their foreheads together before letting out a quiet sigh and whispering, "You're so strong, all on your own."
"It's nice not being alone," he told her softly.
"You might get tired of me," the redhead joked as she pulled back, then nodded to the clothes on the bed, "Now, feel like helping me?"
The black-clad man raised an intrigued eyebrow.
Winnie blushed. "With the corset," she explained, "It's an old style, and I'll need help with the laces."
He eyed the clothes, "They do seem rather dated. I'm assuming they are from a few centuries ago."
"Yeah, my ancestors were total hoarders, but they kept it to all the useful stuff. These were specially made to protect against hellfire and demons. Sort of like an enchanted suit of armor," she finished as she picked up the leggings, "The material for this and the blouse was soaked in different potions and are practically poisonous to demons. And the jacket is as tough as chainmail, while also being fireproof, same with the corset and boots."
"In the box?" Emilio questioned.
Winnie smiled and winked, "That's for last."
There was nothing awkward about changing in front of the weretiger, and that fact made the gypsy girl blush. She stripped down to her underwear before donning the old outfit. Pulling the jacket over her arms she turned to the reverend with a smirk.
"So, how do I look?"
"Beautiful," he practically purred and his eyes seemed to shine gold for a second.
She turned back to the box on the bed. "Can't forget this," the redhead said under her breath as she opened the lid to reveal a silver rapier. The sword belt was placed on the velvet cushion beside the sword and the gypsy removed it first before strapping it around her waist. Then came the sword and she anchored the hilt to the belt.
"Silver," Emilio stated.
"Yes, it was plated with silver and blessed by priests," she confirmed. She grabbed the gloves and knives she had removed and put them back on, strapping the knives to her thigh.
"Beautiful," he said again, "and deadly. A true descendant of demon slayers."
"And monster hunters," she added quietly, "Thank you Aunt Anna."
Suddenly it felt like her heart sunk to the soles of her boots and her head turned to the door. "Trouble's coming, and it's almost here," she looked back at him, "I trust you but I don't want to ask too much of you, so I need to know if you think you can't handle it."
"I cannot say for sure but I will do all in my power to keep everyone safe, even from myself."
Winnie could hear the conviction in his words and see it in the weretiger's eyes. A small affectionate smile curled her lips and then she raised her voice a little to call out, "Bobo!"
There was silence until her landlord appeared in the doorway. "Yeah, do you need something?"
The redhead spoke with a knowing smirk, "Big brother listening at the door, huh?" She asked before changing topics, "How good is your aim with a crossbow?"
"I usually hit the target," he answered with a wary tone.
"Good," she said stepping over to the closet and pulling out a silver crossbow and a silver cylinder that she used to demonstrate as she explained, "The arrows are silver dipped in holy water. The cylinder in the middle holds the arrows and here is a back-up, each one holds thirty bolts. The mechanisms inside are designed to reload an arrow as soon the previous one is fired. Just aim and squeeze the trigger. If you run out, eject the cylinder using the lever on the side, then line up the open slot on the cylinder before you load the new one."
"This is something," Bobo said as he took the crossbow from the psychic.
Outside there was the sound of a large truck going down the street. Winnie nodded to the door, "Out the back. We need to get to everyone without being seen."
Bobo nodded his agreement and turned away, "Come on."
Bobo lead them to Fiji's only to not find anyone there, so they headed the other way and heard a commotion from above Bobo's shop. Entering through the back, they found Olivia, Lemuel, Manny and Fiji inside.
Manny's eyes caught his sister's and he flinched when she instantly looked away from him. The male psychic knew he messed up, and he just hoped his sister gave him the chance to explain.
The brunette medium told them about the demon that had come to midnight.
"Alright," Olivia said, "So we need to stop it, now."
Everyone nodded and they all headed out the door and into the street where they spotted the demon a little way away.
"This ain't anywhere near okay," Bobo said from the front of the group.
Winnie walked between Bobo and Emilio, who was praying, "Protect this town from his wickedness."
The demon struck a lighter in his hand as he said, "You will rise again."
Lemuel sped over to stop the flame from touching the pile of corpses. Bobo grabbed the demon's other arm as Olivia wrenched the lighter from the evil being's grasp.
"There isn't gonna be a funeral pyre," Manny declared as he faced the demon, "or a human sacrifice, or whatever the hell you think this is."
The demon seemed to be paying less attention to the medium and more attention to the resident witch when it said, "You're Fiji."
"You don't talk to her!" Bobo shouted.
Again, the demon payed no attention to what was said to it. "When he rises, you will be his."
"Whose?" Fiji yelled in anger. "Who are you talking about?" She demanded.
"Colcannar," the malicious creature said, "He's chosen you."
"Colcannar? That's his name?"
Manny stepped up to pull the witch back and she fought in his grip, "Fiji, don't listen—"
The dark-skinned woman froze and let out a startled noise.
Olivia took notice and asked, "What is it?"
"I hear him," the witch told her blonde friend, before turning to face the pile of bodies behind her.
The ground started to crack as fire reached up from below to engulf the dead sacrifice.
"Everyone, get back!" Manny said as the retreated.
The demon finally wrestled out of his captor's grip, throwing Bobo to the ground and shrugging off Olivia and Lem. It went after the witch as soon as it was free.
Bobo say this and cried out a warning, "Fiji!"
"Ah, no!" She shouted as it grabbed her.
"Let her go." Manny ordered.
"It won't be long now," the demon announced, "He will rise. And he will take you as his."
"Let me go!" Fiji said as she struggled.
Winnie unsheathed her rapier as she came from the side, using the hand guard to punch the demon in the face. The sizzle of burning flesh and the demon's shout sounded through the air as it lost its hold on the witch. When the demon reached out for the fleeing woman, the redhead's sword struck out and pierced it through the hand.
Fiji dashed away toward Manny who stepped back with her. Bobo raised the crossbow and leveled it at the demon pulling the trigger and letting four silver bolts fly in quick succession. There was an even louder scream but the demon was still standing.
"Spirits who he hurt, help me," the medium called as he watched his sister brandish her weapon against the demon, "Don't let this monster kill anyone else. End this. Drag him back to hell. Toss him in there!"
The demon lashed out at the redhead gypsy again, but the spirits were already on top of it. The seized the monster and pulled it back into the flames.
The evil creatures spoke as it struggled, "You can't stop this. You're too late. Kill me, but he will rise!"
A second after the demon disappeared the flames were gone, along with the bodies.
"How'd you do that?" Olivia questioned, wide-eyed as she stared at where the pit of flames had been.
"Old trick I used to do," the male psychic answered, "But it didn't stop him. The sacrifice was made."
Black blood dripping from her blade, Winnie looked at her brother. She sighed but looked at the crowd gathered down the street when she spoke, "Where's the RV, Manfred." Her flat tone and the use of his full name from his sister had the brunette flinching like he was struck. Finally, her eyes locked with his, "You've developed a nasty habit of leaving things behind," she hissed. Emilio's hand fell gently on her arm and almost instantly her shoulders sagged, "We'll discuss this later," she informed him before nodding in the direction of the house they shared, "Go get cleaned up."
"You should talk to him," Emilio told her as he gently brushed a kiss against her temple and made his way to the church.
Winnie watched him leave, and out of the corner of her eyes saw the others disperse. Bobo came and handed her the crossbow before saying, "I'll look after him. Go do what you need to."
"Thanks," the redhead told her friend with a tired smile as she moved toward her house.
Inside the house was quiet but Winnie could hear the shower running. She went into the bathroom and took a seat on the closed toilet lid. As hurt as she was about him leaving, she was very happy to have him back.
A few minutes later the shower shut off and the curtain slid open. The male was startled but he stayed quiet as he grabbed the towel to dry off. All his sister did was reach over and grab his toothbrush and paste before handing them to him. He took it as the silent request it was, so he stepped out and started brushing his teeth as he waited to hear what she would say.
Finding an interesting spot to stare at, Winnie started to speak, "If you were that tired of me, you could have just said so," her words were sarcastic before her tone became less playful, "I don't know what hurt worse, the separation after being together our whole lives, or you leaving without a word. I don't even know what I feel, right now. I'm angry that you left, and at Creek because she hurt you. I'm happy that you're back, sad that you didn't take me with you, and glad that I got to stay with Emilio. And pissed off, because when you did come back it was with a demon and dead bodies. I mean, really?"
Manny spat out the toothpaste in his mouth before he interrupted his sister's rant, "You have every right to be mad at me, Winnie. I know I screwed up. I was confused. You have to believe me, I would never have left without telling you if I had been thinking straight."
Winnie's eyes cut sharply to her brother and the emotional turmoil in the jade orbs was like a gut punch. "You took the RV. The only home we've known since Mom left us with Grandma. To be honest I can hardly remember our mother. Xylda wasn't just our grandmother, she raised us—besides you, she was the only person I considered family—and I wasn't even there when she finally moved on, Manny," Winnie turned her eyes back to the wall.
"I'm sorry," Manny said, his head and shoulders hung low, as his whole being showed how wretched he felt.
Silence hung between them for a moment until, with a soft tisk, the redhead stood and wrapped her arms around her brother. "I already forgave you," she admitted, "I said goodbye to Grandma when she died. And it's not like I don't already have someone tracking down the RV for me—but you've got some major sucking up to do."
He let out a relieved sigh as he returned the hug, "You name it."
"I want French toast for breakfast," she mumbled into his collar.
He let out a laugh as he nodded his head, "You got it."
"...and orange juice."
"Okay."
The next morning, the redhead gypsy was back in her normal clothes. The red shirt she wore declared, "In My Defense I Was Left Unsupervised".
Winnie moaned at the delicious taste of her brother's French toast recipe and scarfed down four slices before helping him with the clean-up.
"We still have a bunch of pizza in the fridge," the brunette mentioned.
His sister raised an eyebrow at him as she replied, "There's no way I could have eaten it all while you were gone."
"What about Creek?"
Winnie sighed with a shrug, "I think she moved in with Fiji the day after you left. I wasn't really here, since I was keeping an eye on Emilio."
"Right. How's he doing?"
"He's fine," she replied as her eyes darted to the door and lingered a few seconds, "better after the full moon, but he's been fighting the veil's influence."
"Well, Fiji's potion should help him out," the male psychic consoled. Then he nudged her shoulder and nodded to the door, "Go on, I know you want to, I can finish this."
She smiled and kissed him on the cheek, before washing off her hands and toweling them dry. On her way out the door, she grabbed her jacket and threw a goodbye over her shoulder as it closed.
Creek was heading towards the psychics' residence as Winnie left, and they shared small smiles as they passed each other.
Winnie found the weretiger where he always was, at the church.
Emilio turned when he heard the redhead come in and smiled as she came closer, "You seem happy this morning. Your talk with your brother must have gone well."
"Manny knows he's still in trouble and the feelings are raw, but we're good." She glanced at the tools in his hands, "Wasn't Bobo going to help with the repairs."
"He is," the black-clad man said as he dropped the tools into the toolbox, "We're taking a break. Bobo said he was going to check on Fiji."
"That's good, I would offer to help but I'm crafty, not handy. I don't know the first thing about building things," she said with a shy smile.
He smiled back then held out a hand, "Will you take a walk with me?"
"Sure," Winnie answered as she took his hand.
When they were outside, Emilio switched the positions of their hands so Winnie's was curled in the crook of his elbow as they walked down the street.
They passed the restaurant before the reverend started to speak, "You were extremely brave last night. I could tell that facing that demon took a lot of courage, even as prepared as you were. When you acted it was without hesitation, and I'm immensely proud."
Winnie blushed and ducked her head to rest against his shoulder before she spoke, "Thank you."
The smile was clear in his voice when he said, "You're welcome."
The two made a full circle back to the church. Bobo had returned and the two men started to get back to work, Winnie said a quick goodbye before she left to help Olivia watch Bobo's shop.
With no customers in the pawn shop, the redhead was able to talk the blonde into a game of poker. To Olivia's frustration, it was Winnie who ended up winning the most hands and the assassin owed the gypsy three-thousand dollars when they finally stopped the game.
"I just got scammed, didn't I?" The blonded grumbled.
Winnie smiled as she collected the chips, "Not this time."
The women laughed and waited for the nightshift to start before going their separate ways. It was a surprisingly good day, expecially after having to deal with a demon, but Winnie could feel it. It was the calm before the storm.